Sale of Licenses is Down

D

Dakotazeb

Well-known member
Thst a lot of lost $$$$$ just from lost license sales. All of the other things and its BIG $$$$$$$.
 
Sales down

Doesn't surprise me. It's happening here in Wisconsin, too. It will be interesting to see if it's a trend related to fewer bird numbers, or just a lack of interest, especially among the youngsters, or both. When you come from Wisconsin pheasant hunting in SD still seems fantastic. I can't imagine how it was when bird numbers were on the high side. I'll be back after Xmas unless the ice is as bad as it was last year. My dog was beat up after three weeks out there, but I think she's on the mend now.
 
I'm sure that the numbers are down mainly due to all the negative bird number reports before the season. I kind of like not having as much competition in the field. Especially on public lands. :D
 
Dakotazeb said:
I'm sure that the numbers are down mainly due to all the negative bird number reports before the season. I kind of like not having as much competition in the field. Especially on public lands. :D
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Yep, it may not sound "right", but we too have enjoyed our season more on public land this year due to lower bird #'s and lower hunter #'s:thumbsup:

Unfortunately, we all know that fewer hunters isn't necessarily a good thing in the long-run.......
 
Our group was part of the ones that did not go to SD this year. Fewer birds equals less hunters. There is a breaking point when the cost of the trip just isn't worth it.
 
Was out in SDak a few weeks back, so-so trip birdwise, we cut it a day short due to conditions.

I know license sales are down, habitat is definitely going backwards with the ag boom. The rancher we stay with just sold his 320 acres of retired CRP so there goes the last block of great nesting habitat.

Hunters spend a lot of money out there, but when I drive 12 west of Aberdeen and look at all the new elevators, ag service places, and money being thrown down I don't think the hunters can compete with that.

It will be interesting to hear what comes out of the pheasant summit, for sure.

Dan
 
The corn boom is having a big effect on SD like Iowa, saw the same conditions west of Redfield and Miller this year. More tiling the wet areas and non-farmable areas are disappearing. Complete sections of CRP northwest of Presho disappeared and turned into corn. I'm sure the high costs of fuel, license fees for non-residents, and lower WIA's numbers have an effect.
I just hope the SD doesn't raise the non-resident fees to make up for the lost in fees!:cheers:
 
Sales of deer licenses should be down a bunch thanks to EHD across the state.

Did run into a few hunters checking into Huron hotel and having success on private and public ground. Finding birds but having to work for them. Conditions were harsh to be sure.

We take off for Timberlake on Thursday for hunt at West River Adventures.

Was having dinner with hosts of Wolf Creek Camp last night and got call from guys hunting my place and they just wnated to say they were having a great time and could have limited for 8 could they have shot better. Wanted to rebook for same week next year. Only -16 there this morning:) No wind though. not as bad as you might think.
 
UGUIDE, what happened to your Miller site? We hunted it week 7, extremely disappointed in what we found and now I see it's gone.
 
david0311

UGUIDE said:
JayhawkJ, yes, it was a camp that only had undeveloped potential and no more chances for the owner so it is removed from the UGUIDE network.

Sorry you had to experience this place. Hope you give us another try.
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Good move Chris---- on the Miller site---:thumbsup:
 
Pheasant populations will continue to swing with spring/summer reproduction weather and winter weather, but ...

total populations will take a step shift down proportional to available habitat.

Plenty of pheasants were killed in the 70s and 80s before CRP and plenty will be killed after CRP is reduced in acreage or gone. The belief that SD can hold high pheasant populations with out CRP is misguided. Populations fell after soil bank was discontinued ... same will hold true now.

With the step jump down in bird populations (via less habitat) the number of hunters will also fall. It is a predator-prey equilibriation process.

Those hunting good habitat will see and kill plenty of birds. Harvest, hunting weather conditions (heat, wind, snow) will continue to impact individual and overall success.

If South Dakota loses 50% of its CRP acres and additional cattail slough / fence row habitat ... is a 20% reduction in licenses sold a bad thing ?
 
I hunted near Aberdeen last week until the cold shut us down. I was surprised at how many ditches were mowed, which I assume is for haying during drought. We hardly hunted any ditches mostly because of that. Never saw that three years ago.
 
Good oberservation Zoellner25; i see the same thing and wonder why it was necessary this year???? clearly understood during years of drought..........
Have not had time to review the summit outputs, but leaving habitat in ditches would really help wildlife. Hard pill to swallow when you pass huge numbers of rounds baled that are beyond their useful life..............
 
I saw the same thing as to mowing ditches, even more than last year. A lot of dead end and minimum service roads were mowed. It may have something to do maintaining the roads during snow, I'm not sure. That being said, I still found birds hiding in short (8 inch to 1 foot) grass next to cut corn, especially if there was good cover close by.
 
The bottom line is down $2,000,000+ in license fees.

Stop giving ethanol producers a $.50 taxpayer subsidy per gallon, and the pheasants will be back.
 
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